Regeneration
by DancingKirby
Summary: Sequel to "Unwind". Asuka goes to Japan for the five-year Duel Academy class reunion. She's started a new life in America, but can she convince Manjoume to finally let go of the past? Not a fluffy or romantic story.


A/N: This is a "Wrap everything up before possible retirement" stories. I might do another oneshot after I finish the Ekou fic, since the idea of finishing with an even thirty fics is quite appealing to me.

* * *

Well, there Asuka was. She had never thought that she would see this place again. In fact, she wasn't even sure she wanted to be here. Asuka had finally found her identity in America, and she hadn't wanted to be dragged back here again, to those days of being constantly ogled. The boys here had been singularly unable to grasp the concept of a girl who cared more about her studies than her social life. There had seemed to be this unwritten rule that all Academy girls were supposed to be looks-obsessed bimbos, with only a superficial interest in dueling.

Well, Asuka was not going to be like that. She would never bow down to what anyone wanted of her. She had her own life and career in America waiting for her as soon as she was done here. She'd been reluctant to return to Japan for this school reunion, but they had insisted. After all, they said, she had been one of their best students, and no reunion would be complete without her. Good thing they didn't know that she had arrived. They would have been surrounding her in crowds had they seen her get off the boat.

Asuka felt a shiver of trepidation as she gazed up at the Academy. She was strong enough to go through with this, she thought to herself. She would not let the past get to her. Not even if she saw...Manjoume.

Here she faltered slightly. As much as she hated to admit it, that memory still affected her greatly. In a moment of tremendous stupidity, she had acted just as all those boys had expected her to act. She couldn't even really recall the thought processes that had led up to the event. But she remembered the embarrassment afterwards perfectly, and the resolve to never let it happen again. She wasn't sure what she'd do if she saw Manjoume and those old memories resurfaced entirely.

Now that was quite enough of that, Asuka scolded herself. She was twenty-three years old and had a college degree. She was most definitely not the silly girl she had been back then. She could handle this, and anything else.

Asuka steeled herself, and walked up to the main building.

* * *

The inside of the building contained a loud, boisterous crowd. Surely there hadn't been that many people in her graduating class! Then again, it had been a while, so maybe Asuka wasn't remembering correctly.

Asuka barely had time to get this thought completed before she was spotted. She had also forgotten that Chronos had eyes like a hawk. No crowd was a match for him!

"There you are! We've been waiting for you, na no ne!" said Chronos jubilantly. He elbowed random people aside as he made his way toward Asuka. He may have lost most of his elitism, but he still took great pride in showcasing his best students.

Chronos looked exactly the same as he had five years ago. Then again, his makeup probably hid any new signs of aging.

Asuka made a half-hearted attempt to excuse herself, but nothing would deter Chronos from his mission.

"What is a class reunion without its star pupil?" He inquired. He put on such a pathetic, puppy-dog-eyed face that Asuka just couldn't refuse. She decided to just grin and bear it for the moment as Chronos took her arm and dragged her off to the center of the room Chronos really meant no harm; he just tended to let his excitement get the best of him.

Asuka was led to a balloon-covered pedestal, complete with a microphone stand. Having let go of Asuka's arm, Chronos took the microphone. He opened his mouth to say something, but the microphone drowned him out with one of those loud, annoying feedback sounds. It was so loud that it brought all conversation in the room to a halt, because people were too busy covering their ears.

Chronos sighed and muttered just loud enough for Asuka to hear, "This happens every time, na no ne..." He tried to clean the mouthpiece off with his pink handkerchief, but that just made the sound worse. Finally, Samejima was obliged to get up from his seat and move the stand farther away from the speaker system.

Now that the noise was taken care of, the room was almost completely silent. A couple of airheaded girls were still gossiping in the back of the room, but most people had their attention focused on the pedestal.

Chronos, clearly embarrassed, cleared his throat.

"Buongiorno, students, faculty and...er...cat." (Here Chronos cast a suspicious glance at Pharaoh, who was eyeing the refreshment table) "I am delighted that so many of you could show up for the five-year reunion of the Class of '07!"

The crowd applauded dutifully.

"Unfortunately," continued Chronos, "Yuki Judai could not make it. He and Johan Anderson are vacationing in Switzerland, but send their best wishes."

There was some tittering from the girls at the back of the room, which was quickly followed by an indignant "Ssh!"

Now Chronos's eyes were getting teary.

"I miss that boy so much. It seems like only yesterday that we were mortal enemies! Ah, those were the days. Excuse me while I compose myself, na no ne..."

And he walked offstage, dramatically drying his eyes with the pink handkerchief. Asuka was rather relieved that this had been postponed for the time being. She had been afraid that _she_ would be roped into giving a speech.

* * *

When Asuka had climbed down from the pedestal, she looked around for faces she knew.

There was Kenzan, who had grown a sizable beard since he'd graduated. He'd made quite a name for himself after discovering a new type of dinosaur on a fossil dig in China.

And Sho was over to the right. Despite the hormone deficit that made it so he never truly went through puberty, he had had a relatively successful career in the Pro League.

As it turned out, Momoe and Junko were the girls in the back of the room who were talking during Chronos's speech. They definitely hadn't changed any.

...Was that Saiou standing near the sushi bar? Hard to tell, since whoever it is was wearing a huge hat. She decided to just leave the guy alone, because she had heard that Saiou was still working out some issues. If it was him, he probably was just here because he felt some obligation.

Not far away from this person of uncertain identity was Napoleon. Asuka felt a wave of sympathy for him. He'd barely gotten back to France when Martin's condition had started deteriorating. The poor kid had died the next year while waiting for a heart transplant.

Thankfully, Asuka was spared from this line of thought when she saw Ryo. He looked reasonably happy, and had accepted life in a wheelchair some time ago. Edo was pushing the wheelchair. It was a strange relationship that those two had, alright.

Asuka started making her way through the crowd so she could talk to him. Ryo would want to know how Fubuki was doing. Asuka's brother also hadn't been able to make it, since he was on tour in San Francisco.

Before she made it halfway across the room, however, the double doors to the building were flung open as widely as possible. Everyone turned his or her head to look at this distraction.

"I'm here!" announced Manjoume, "Sorry I'm late. My flight was delayed, and then I couldn't figure out how to work the damn stroller!"

In walked Manjoume, with a toddler in a very ruffly dress perched on his arm.

* * *

Everyone knew about Manjoume's exploits over the past five years. Asuka knew all about this, since she'd kept track on Japanese current events while in college. Once, however, they'd even done an article about him in America. Granted, it was just a two-page article in the international section of _People_ magazine, but it was quite remarkable for a country that normally only liked reporting on its native celebrities.

For the first couple of years, it had seemed like Manjoume could do no wrong. The Pro League audiences loved a gimmick. When Hell Kaiser retired, they needed something new to get excited over. Manjoume and his unusual zero-attack deck fit the bill perfectly. Sure, Manjoume was a womanizer from the start, but he was so beloved that his indiscretions were politely ignored.

But then Manjoume went too far. After two and a half years in the Pros, the news broke that he had gotten 16-year-old Saotome Rei pregnant. This was underage by Domino City law, so Manjoume could have very well been arrested. Fortunately, the Saotome family did not press charges. As it was, the Pro League suspended him indefinitely for immoral conduct.

There was a quick wedding, followed six months later by the birth of a healthy daughter named Izumi. The ever-fickle public was enthralled by stories about the cute, dark-haired infant, and for the time being things seemed to be smoothed over, and Manjoume was reinstated in the Pros the next season.

Alas, things could not stay happy for long. By the same time next year, Rei had filed for divorced. The divorce had just been finalized the month before, and they shared custody of Izumi.

This was the official saga reported on TV and in magazines. However, there seemed to be many blank spaces in the story. Asuka had always wondered why Manjoume and Rei would show an interest in each other. As far as she knew, they hated each other. The stories made it seem like it was all Manjoume's doing, but Asuka wasn't sure about that at all.

Still, she wasn't exactly in the mood to see him now. She winced at his stupidity of bringing a twenty-month-old child to a school reunion. What's more, he had dressed her in that absurd white dress. There was no way of _that_ staying clean.

Obviously, he was a doting father, and did his best, but he didn't seem to have a clue as to what was good for small children.

Oh well. This wasn't Asuka's concern. She might still be able to walk away without him noticing her. Forget Ryo...she had to get out of here! Manjoume's back was to the door right now...maybe, if she snuck past him _very_ quietly...

"Tenjoin-kun?!"

Well, there went that idea. Now that he'd seen her, she would be obliged to at least exchange small talk with him. She reluctantly stood there while Manjoume walked up to her.

"I've missed you so much, Tenjoin-kun!" he said while sporting big sparkly eyes. The hand that wasn't holding Izumi clasped Asuka's.

Oh brother.

"Um, hello, Manjoume-kun,"she said hesitantly.

Asuka saw Manjoume flick the inevitable glance to her chest, then saw his expression turn disappointed.

"Yes, I had a breast reduction. I was sick of those things taking over my life. Oh come on, you don't have to look so sad about it!"

Manjoume tried, but failed miserably, to hide the bummed-out look in his eyes.

Asuka tried to extricate herself from this awkward situation as quickly as possible. She desperately tried to think up an excuse. Finally, she lamely said, "I was...just going to check out the punch bowl..."

Manjoume's face lit up.

"What a great idea! I think I'll go with you!" he replied. That guy really couldn't take a hint, could he?

Okay, thought Asuka. She'd have to be more blunt about this. But before she could say anything more, Izumi began fussing and squirming.

"Down!" she ordered. Asuka once again fought the urge to roll her eyes as Manjoume set the child down without even looking at where she might go. Luckily, there were people who took it upon themselves to watch Izumi, so Asuka wasn't too worried.

Manjoume looked relieved, and walked over to a corner of the room where there weren't any people within earshot. Asuka felt like she had no choice but to follow.

"I was hoping that she'd give us some privacy, actually. Maybe I shouldn't have brought her, but Rei dumped her on me at the last minute. She didn't want to go to the reunion, because I'd be there. I didn't have time to make any arrangements..."

"Yes, yes, I understand," Asuka interrupted, "But I can't stay and talk with you. I'm sorry, but I have my own things to worry about."

Manjoume looked quite put-out. Obviously, this meeting was not turning out how he'd planned it in his head.

"But Tenjoin-kun, I've been wanting to talk to you for so long! I missed you the whole time you were in America."

"Well, you certainly did a great job of showing that, didn't you?"

Manjoume blushed at Asuka's retort.

"Tenjoin-kun...do you really think that I left you for Rei? Rei and those other women were just replacements for you! I was just waiting until you came back, thinking we could start over...I thought we really had something going between us!"

Now Asuka was starting to get mad. It was difficult for her to keep her voice down.

"So you think of Rei as just a _substitute_ for me?" she hissed, "I'm sure she felt happy about that."

"N...no, Tenjoin-kun! That's not what I meant to say...it's hard to explain, okay? It just seemed to...happen. As a matter of fact, I think she saw me as a replacement too. She was upset that Judai had chosen Johan over her, you see. We started seeing each other after she graduated, and one thing led to another."

"Manjoume, please. You don't have to tell me all the intimate details of your relationships. If you were thinking I was jealous, I'm not. I'm past all that now."

Manjoume winced when he realized she had dropped the "kun" off the end of his name.

"But Asuka, I thought you'd understand. That one time our third year...don't you remember that? I really did think you had feelings for me."

Asuka had been fervently hoping that she could have wrapped this conversation up before it strayed to The Incident. Manjoume was more deluded than she thought, if he was still hanging onto this memory as proof of their compatibility. She would have to sort this out with him once and for all, even though she dreaded the thought.

"Okay, Manjoume," she said firmly in her best schoolteacher voice, "That is quite enough of that. What happened that day was a mistake, and I think you know that. You just don't want to admit it. We were both stupid kids then, and our hormones got in the way. It was as much my fault as yours. Nevertheless, you'll have to think about this like the adult that you are. I'm sorry, but a relationship between us would not work out. I'm taking a completely different path in life than you. And to be honest, you deserve a woman you can truly identify with...not just a replacement for some crush you had back in high school."

Manjoume seemed to be at a loss for words. He had probably been expecting Asuka to be the same old person who just couldn't say no. Well, she had changed.

Finally, Manjoume mumbled something that Asuka couldn't quite catch.

"Excuse me, but I couldn't quite hear that. Can you speak up?"

Manjoume took a deep breath.

"I...I'm seeing a therapist. He says I have a sex addiction...a pretty bad one. That explains a lot, actually. I'd thought that all that difficulty I had as a teenager was normal, but it turns out it wasn't...not to that extent at least. It used to get so bad I could barely focus on my schoolwork...that one time, I just couldn't take it anymore."

Asuka couldn't help feeling sorry for him. Obviously, he was playing the pity card somewhat, but who could blame him? She'd been sort of wondering if Manjoume had some sort of problem.

"Well," she said, choosing her words carefully, "I wish you luck on that. Really...I don't want you to suffer. I just wish that you'll be able to see past me eventually. I'm not sure whether we'll meet again. I'm going to focus on my career, and I'm not sure I ever even want to marry or have kids. If you want, I'll give you my e-mail address, but you'll have to promise not to obsess over me anymore."

Manjoume nodded as Asuka scribbled the address down on a scrap of paper and handed it to him. He knew that there was no more point in pressing the issue.

"I guess this is goodbye, then," he whispered. Then, in a louder voice, "Izumi, come here. It's time to leave!"

No answer.

"Izumi?"

Still no reply.

"Where IS she?" he muttered as he went off looking for her. A short while later, he returned with Izumi, who had food crumbs all over her now-dirty and rumpled dress.

"Should have known she'd be eating...I used to love to eat junk food when I was her age. Well...um...I hope you have a good life and stuff, Tenjoin-kun."

And with that less-than-eloquent farewell, he exited the building.

Asuka shook her head slightly. It didn't seem as though Manjoume was entirely hopeless, but he had a lot of work to do. He'd have to continue seeing this therapist, grow up, and learn to keep that daughter of his under control. Hmm...would he be able to do that? Yes, he could. Asuka was sure of it.

Well, she couldn't just stand around here dwelling on this all day. She had to find Ryo, then she had to catch the plane back to America early next morning, and of course there was that huge stack of papers she had to grade for her assistant-teaching job...

Yes, this beginning to her new life was going to be busy, all right. However, she felt relieved that she had put some of her past behind her. It was the beginning of a bright new era for her, and, she hoped, for Manjoume too.

THE END


End file.
